Simple Is Good, Professional Is Better
While I am in the process of pursuing new paths in 2009 I have decided to make an attempt to use my Twitter stream to maximum effect. Yesterday I asked the public if there were any interesting people I should be following and Ryan Carson’s stream was suggested. While following Ryan I was introduced to a new subscription payment service called Spreedly.
If you have attempted to run a business around a subscription payment model you know how frustrating it can be when you have everything setup and the last (and hardest task) is integrating a payment system. I know Alex from Weewar and it is not that I don’t believe his testimonial that Spreedly has helped them cutback on development time, it is just that the design of the website does not fill me with the trust that is required for me to hand over my money. It is well known that I go for the simple, but simple must also deliver a message to your audience and the message lacking from the design of this website is one of trust.
Fortunately, because of Twitter the Spreedly folks asked if I had any suggestions for them and since I am now a consultant that understands that free work doesn’t benefit anyone I will hold back on giving them a full analysis. However, some simple additions to the website that would go a long way are:
- Screenshots. Whether everything is behind the scenes or not, a full text website that reads like a brochure pushes people away. Dealing with payment systems can be scary enough for non-developers already, so making it even scarier by NOT showing them how easy your system is doesn’t make much sense.
- Footer. I need a real footer. A footer that says this is a company and you can trust us with your money. Copyright, trademark, Spreedly, LLC…anything. Amazing how such a simple addition can raise the value of the website tenfold. If Spreedly isn’t officially a company yet, don’t make the mistake of lying about it and saying “Spreedly, Inc.” for example. I have made that mistake in the past and it can take some time for it to go away.
- Testimonials. Testimonials are great, but the ones used by Spreedly seem generic and fake. I am sure they are legit, but I am not sure if it is the design or the fact there are only two of them, but something just throws me off.
- Design. Okay, the problem with the design is that it looks like a generic blog design. Plain and simple. Colored header with two column design. I am looking for a company website, not a blog that wants my money.
Those are my quick suggestions and maybe if we get in touch with each other, I can help them with more. I would love to give the service a try in the near future when I have my other projects setup because not having to worry about payments means I have more time to be creative. Be sure to let me know your thoughts on the site as well. Would you willingly hand over your money to them without hesitating based on the look of the site?
3 Responses
Nathaniel Talbott / 01.09.09
Great feedback, Paul – thanks for taking the time to write this up. These are all great suggestions, and we’ll be digesting them here at Spreedly HQ to determine how to address your concerns along with some similar concerns that also came out of Ryan Carson’s mention of Spreedly. It’s great to get some fresh eyes on something fundamental like the homepage – we’ve been looking at it for quite a while, and it’s getting hard to see it with “initial impression” eyes.
To address a few of your concerns directly until we get the homepage doing it for us: Spreedly, Inc. is a Delaware C Corp., and we should definitely be more explicit about that. Also, while screenshots would be better for skimming, in the meantime you can grab a free test account and test drive the backend. No need to pay us a dime to figure out if it works for you.
We’ll be sure to check back in when we’ve had a chance to address your concerns – thanks again!.
Martin Bavio / 01.17.09
I agree 100% with you. If you want to get money from other developers, you need to think and design a professional website. And, you miss the most important mistake of that company: the lack of a serious logotype. Come on, guys, if you cant do it, it will be cheaper, but you cant, in any way, not to have a real logotype!
I have more comments to the site, but as Paul said, I will wait to be hired as a consultant :)
Paul Scrivens / 02.21.09
@Nathaniel: Glad I could help out some and I have no doubts that you guys are credible. Just saying how hard it is to build credibility with what your site shows. I know many people looking for a service as your’s and if I am to recommend it I would prefer to do so with a site that people trust.